A man arrested for drunk driving told police that his dog was at the wheel when officers spotted the vehicle weaving across lanes on a Florida roadway, court records[1] show.
State troopers last month pulled over a 2005 Nissan after spotting the auto being driven erratically on Interstate 95 outside Port St. Lucie.
When cops contacted the driver, they detected the “obvious and distinct odor” of booze “coming from inside the vehicle.” The motorist, Scott Garrett, 56, was lethargic, slurring his words, and had “red, very glassy, and blood shot” eyes. On the car’s front passenger seat was an open bottle of Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum.
Before performing a series of field sobriety tests, Garrett, pictured above, asked troopers to give him a ride to his Jupiter home. Garret then sought to pin the dangerous driving on another party[2]: “He then stated he wasn’t driving the vehicle but it was...actually his dog,” an investigator noted.
Despite Garrett’s alibi, he was arrested for drunk driving (a breath test recorded his blood alcohol content at more than three times the .08 legal limit). A Florida Highway Patrol report noted that Garrett’s rap sheet includes three prior DUI convictions.
Troopers reported that Garrett “was the only occupant” of the Nissan.
Garrett, who has pleaded not guilty to the DUI count, is next due in court on July 30.
References
- ^ court records (www.thesmokinggun.com)
- ^ another party (www.thesmokinggun.com)